See's Candies Review: Peanut Butter Patties & P-Nut Crunch
May 19, 2008
It seems really unfair to review the chocolates I got at See’s Candies after reviewing what appears to be the crowned glory of peanut butter filled chocolate, the Vosges Peanut Butter Bonbon, but such is life.
These were a gift from my taste tester who visited one of See’s locations in Phoenix, Arizona. See’s markets itself like a mom and pop shop and that is the way it started, but now they have a whole bunch of stores across eleven states and even in Hong Kong, Japan and Mexico. It started in the west, which is where most of their stores are currently and explains why I am not familiar with them having lived in New Jersey most of my life. Yes, JERSEY!
My See’s chocolate box included a mix of Peanut Butter Patties and P-Nut Crunch. Both of which were good, and hey after indulging in the Vosges Bon Bons, I swore of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, not other varieties. Loophole discovered! Woo!
The inside of the box smelled exactly like the inside of a box of Girl Scout Tagalongs. The Peanut Butter Patties are basically Tagalongs without the cookie part. Which is tasty, and certainly better than the peanut butter filled chocolates you can get at the grocery store, though if I had to pick I’d stick with the Tagalong.
The P-Nut Crunch resembled a mass-produced product that you may have heard of. It’s known as the Butterfinger. The P-Nut Crunch is essentially the same thing with a crumbly, less crunchy texture that doesn’t stick to your teeth. Considering the teeth clinging quality of Butterfingers is the complaint I hear most about them, it seems that P-Nut crunch has the advantage.
Both chocolates are coated in a milk chocolate. There’s something about chocolate from a mom-and-pop-ish place such as this over the mass-market ones that makes such a difference to me. It’s tasting chocolates like these that remind me that milk chocolate can be good, as I tend to go for dark chocolate first. It’s creamier and not so sugary tasting. A definite plus.
See’s packaging also has that homemade feel while products such as the Butterfinger have that unattractive brightly colored wrapping. As I’ve mentioned before, I have a weakness for good packaging. Based on this and the look of the product that lies within, I would pick See’s over the Butterfinger or Reese’s PB Cup any day. The chocolates look like they might have come out of someone’s kitchen being slightly wonky as opposed to having come off a conveyor belt. It’s little touches like this that make choosing your snack an easier decision, subconsciously.
Now if only they’d set up shop in New Jersey. Yes, JERSEY!
Buy yourself some See’s Candies and see the difference for yourself. I’d like to give you a direct link to the Peanut Butter Patties, but I can’t seem to find it on their site. I’m honestly not even sure if that’s their real name since the person that bought them for me didn’t take thorough notes on his purchase. What was he thinking? If you’re looking for the P-Nut Crunch, you can find them here.